Post navigation

My dream #70 – A reason for you to care…

At the beginning I put this dream number 70, I only thought that I want to give my life meanings. I just don’t want that once I die, I would just disappear without leaving any traces… Even a dog leaves its pee before leaving a place.

I have been looking for voluntary activities quite sometimes, till one of my juniors in college posted on twitter that Sahabat Anak Manggarai is looking for English teacher to regularly teach every Friday from 7 – 9 pm. I just found it to be right. The place can be easily reached from my office or home, the time is also right so that I can go there after office hour on Friday.

I contacted, Putri, who is responsible for Friday class. She told me how to reach the place and who else is going to teach. There were usually four teachers who will give lesson on Friday, but one of them is taking short course in United States so they are now looking for a new one. Hm.. four teachers. My first thought was that probably they were going to split the students into smaller groups. OK.. Not an issue to me.

Last Friday (June 28, 2013), I went out a bit late from the office as I had full day field briefing. I just arrived at 8 pm and the class has started. In the classroom, I could only see maximum 15 kids. So now, can you imagine of what is usually going on in the classroom so that 15 kids will need 4 teachers to teach them? Yes, A MESS!

I just sat on the backside and saw how things were going in the classroom. Kids were running all the way in the classroom, the voice of firecrackers outside were dominating the voice in the classroom itself, and finally… A kids threw a plastic chair at his friend.

Those kids are mostly 8 – 12 years old. But they called each other with abusive rude words, such as: anjing, goblok, pemulung… And just turned me into a stone.

Once we were done with the class, Putri came to talk to me personally. She has concerned whether I will find the class to be horrible so that I will stop coming or not after what we’ve been through in the classroom.

Now and then..

Look at them in their eyes… And you will see hopes.

Friday (July 5, 2013) is my second class. This time, I was not going alone to Manggarai as Grace, my colleague, accompanied me. I told her before at the office about this activity and she feels interested about it. On our way to the place, Grace asked me a question: Why do you choose this activities? Is it because you like kids?

I didn’t answer the question directly as my first respond pope out of my mind was: errr… just so so, though I won’t kick any kids I see, but I am not a person who see kids and speak in such a high pitch voice and do baby talk. No, I treat kids as adults.

Once we were done with our class today, I asked Grace, “Grace, did you notice how did the kids react when they know that we both are Christian. And you also took notice on how these kids act in the classroom, didn’t you?”

I always believe that kids play an important role in our future.. How do they are educated now will make them who they will be tomorrow. I want to let them know since the very young age about many things. They have to see from us that a good education can help them to be successful persons, no matter what they want to be in the future. I don’t want them to only see adults (who probably be their role model) who scold someone with those bad words.. Or to only see their teachers (and most of teachers in Indonesia) who live far from wealthiness. I want to show them that there is hope awaits them if they want to change themselves.

I want to let them know that there are many differences in real life. Differences in faith, differences in gender, differences in color, differences in ethnicity… But they can see that you do not need to find the differences we have if you care enough for others. I want them to grow positively…If you do care and longed for changes, let’s make a move. There is no use of complaining and hope the changes will come without you fight for it. Hope is but the dream of those who wake (Matthew Prior). And you don’t need reasons to encourage you do more. Just a reason… It is more than enough, because you are not alone holding on that hope.